By Dave Parker
The monthly Board meeting for the County of Cattaraugus Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) was held on Tuesday, February 7th. First on the agenda was a review of the new application from Steelbound Brewing and Distillery for a $17.4 million investment in their Ellicottville location. The application details a plan to expand their current footprint on the 20 acres of land owned by the company on the northeast corner of State Route 219 and County Road 242. The expansion plans detail an upgrade to their 18,600-square-foot facility to be a state-of-the-art canning and bottling facility, expansion of their 1,890 square-foot barrel storage facility to 8,000-10,000 square feet, and a 5,000 square foot expansion on their brewery and bulk grain facility. This initial phase is estimated to cost $7 million with completion planned in 2023.
The next step in the expansion is for a 78-room hotel and conference center capable of hosting 400 attendees. Steelbound’s hotel and conference center will be added to the existing brewery and distillery facility via a 3,000-square-foot sky bridge. This phase is budgeted for $10 million and expects to employ over 30 staff with a target date in 2024. The addition of Steelbound’s hotel and conference center would be a welcome addition to the Ellicottville area often short on available lodging during major events.
In 2024-2025, the Steelbound plan details the potential development of an employee housing facility for working families. This phase of the plan is in future development and Steelbound is also looking into federal grants to make this possible.
In addition to the plans for the expansion of the Ellicottville location, Steelbound opened locations in Springville in 2020 and added its first franchised location in Dunkirk in 2022.
This week Steelbound Brewery and Distillery owner Bill Bursee was in Las Vegas breaking ground for a new facility there. He shared with us, “We are committed to staying in Ellicottville, not just the hotel conferencing center with new state of the art grain facility on the corner, but we are working on a master plan to re-develop the former cogeneration plant to add a new production facility, we will also be adding a second production facility north of the border in Ontario Canada, we are finalizing the construction in Pahrump, Nevada this week along with visiting future sites in Las Vegas.”
CCIDA Executive Director Corey Wiktor reviewed these details of the Steelbound plan with the Board and noted that the application would be formally presented for approval at the March Board meeting.
Also on the agenda was the application for Pierce Steel Fabricators and Machining in Hinsdale to renovate the 45,000-square-foot former Sanzo Beverage warehouse for steel manufacturing. This project is estimated to be a $3.3 million investment by Pierce Steel. A public hearing was held at the Town Hall in Hinsdale on January 9th and the attendees were in favor of the project. The CCIDA Board voted to approve the application.
For full meeting details and CCIDA updates, please visit the CCIDA website at https://www.cattcoida.com.